Brothers Until The End
by A Million Shades Of Blue
Summary: The Clone Wars are dangerous times. Bonds are forged, trust is tested, friends are lost, and questions arise about what they're really fighting for. But no matter what happens, they're brothers until the end.
1. Prologue

Hi! Wow, I haven't posted anything in forever! It's been almost two whole months! I have been writing, though, and this is something I've been working on for the past couple of weeks. It started out as a completely different idea, but when I let the idea stew in my brain for a while, it morphed into a little something called Brothers Until The End (aka what you're reading right now). It's been really fun. I won't hold you up any longer, though - enjoy reading!

* * *

 **PROLOGUE**

* * *

CT-5772 was bored out of his mind.

They had been speeding through hyperspace for hours. Their mission wasn't all that exciting in the first place. They were just delivering food and medical supplies to the Republic base on a Seperatist-controlled planet. 5772 sighed. His first assignment ever, and of course he _had_ to be the delivery boy.

Bolt, his squadmate from Kamino, turned to look at him. "I know," he said, reading his thoughts, as Bolt tended to do. "But we're almost there… maybe the Republic will let us fight!" Next to him, Lev smiled, hoping.

"That's likely," said Shadow sarcastically. Another of 5772's Kamino squad, he had always been the most pessimistic of the five. He pushed his long dark hair out of his face as he said, "We're just gonna be sent back. They don't want a batch of shinies that just got off Kamino getting in their way."

The door slid open with a hiss. In came Flyer. "Get ready, guys. We're approaching the planet." Flyer moved to stand, somewhat reluctantly, next to Shadow. "Shadow… don't tell me you've been filling the heads of these three with your endless supply of darkness yet again." He smirked and gave Shadow a playful nudge.

"Well, Flyer, you're going to be getting a big disappointment. Shadow-" Lev broke off as the ship rumbled and shook and the five troopers were thrown off balance.

"What's going on?" 5772 asked. "I thought there weren't any Separatist forces in this area!"

The ship shook again. Bolt gripped 5772's arm for balance. "You thought wrong," Shadow muttered.

An alarm started blaring. An announcement came over the comlink: "We have been hit. Repeat, we have been-" The pilot's voice was replaced by crackling static as the ship violently rolled to the side. 5772 and the other four troopers put on their helmets.

"Get ready for a rough landing," Flyer said. Although he tried to keep his voice light, it trembled slightly.

"I'm going up to see what's happening," 5772 told his brothers. He punched the button to open the door, and it slid open with a groan. He sprinted up the hallway, hearing footsteps behind him. He threw a glance back and saw Flyer running after him.

The two troopers soon arrived at the cockpit. The pilot was desperately trying to get the ship under control. The ship shuddered as the ground rushed towards them, coming at them faster than 5772 would have liked. There was nothing they could do. 5772 and Flyer gripped the back of the pilot's seat. 5772 squeezed his eyes closed, heart racing, the alarm blaring in his ears, preparing for impact. He hated feeling this helpless, unable to defend himself like he had been trained to do. His life was no longer in his own hands. 5772 tried to focus on the things that he knew for sure were going to happen, which boiled down to about two things. Neither of them were very reassuring.

The ship was going to crash.

He was going to live, or he was going to die.

The world shattered, and 5772 saw nothing but darkness.

* * *

5772 blinked his eyes open. He seemed to be laying on the ground, on his back. His helmet was no longer on his head. He felt a soft, cool breeze blowing over him. His face felt like it was on fire, and his head pounded. He put his hand up to his face. The wound stung when he touched it, and when he drew his hand back, his black glove was soaked with blood.

He rolled over and got up onto his elbows. He grabbed a piece of metal above him and slowly pulled himself to his feet. He winced as he put weight on his right foot. It was sprained, maybe broken. He took a look around. Light streamed through the shattered windshield. Close to 5772, there was a large hole that had been torn out of the wall.

5772 was starting to feel dizzy. He suspected it was a mixture of blood loss and his ankle, but 5772 wasn't a medic. He didn't know these types of things. Flyer was a medic, though. He'd have to check 5772 out.

With a jolt, 5772 remembered that Flyer had come up to the cockpit with him. He took a quick look around, still leaning on the wall for support. "Flyer?" he said weakly. "Are you okay?"

His gaze caught on an armor-clad figure sprawled on the floor a few feet away from him. There was a bright red medic symbol on the shoulder plate. Flyer. He wasn't moving.

5772 stumbled over to him, a spurt of pain shooting up his ankle. He collapsed beside him. "Flyer…" he whispered. 5772 removed his friend's helmet, his hand leaving a bloody handprint on it. Flyer's eyes were closed, his face still. 5772 grasped his hand, trying to find a pulse, some sign that Flyer was still alive. "No, no, no!" 5772 said, panic in his voice. "Come on, Flyer, wake up, I'm right here!" His voice cracked.

There was no heartbeat.

Flyer was gone.

5772 squeezed his eyes shut, trying to suppress the choking sensation in his throat. His eyes burned, and his vision blurred. He bit his lip, fighting a sob. He had to hold it together.

As he stood, cringing in pain, he noticed a blinking red light on the ship's control panel. 5772 didn't know much about piloting, but he did know that blinking red light equals _bad_. He had to get out of there. He noticed his helmet laying a few feet away from him. He picked it up, but didn't put it on because of his face.

A deep rumbling sounded within the ship, and 5772's heart pounded in fear. He wildly looked around for an escape route. The only way out was the shattered window and the hole in the wall. He was going to have to jump, something that 5772 was not looking forward to, because it would probably make his ankle worse. But it was that or get blown up, so that made 5772's choice pretty easy.

He stumbled to the hole, and without allowing himself to think about it any longer, threw himself out of it.

Pain sparked up his ankle as he collapsed. Black spots clouded his vision as he shakily got up and started limping towards a large rock. He eventually reached it, slumping against it, breathing heavily, wondering what was going to happen to him. He held a small hope that the rest of his squadmates had survived.

A loud BOOM interrupted 5772's thoughts. He looked over the rock and saw the shattered remains of the ship. It had exploded.

"NO!" 5772 screamed. "No!" Just speaking made 5772's head spin. He lay down against the rock again, feeling depressingly hopeless. His whole squad, gone, just like that. He thought he heard ship engines, but it could have been a figment of his imagination.

"Over here!" a voice yelled in the distance. Or at least 5772 thought it was in the distance. He couldn't be sure. "A survivor!" 5772 was slowly slipping away.

"Get a medic!" someone yelled. That was the last thing 5772 heard before the world went dark.

* * *

5772 blinked his eyes open to a blinding white light. In one panicked moment, he wondered if he was dead, but his eyes soon focused and he realized he was in a medbay. His head pounded as he slowly got up onto his elbows. He looked to his right and saw a window. Stars blinked beyond it. In the window, he could see a faint reflection. He looked closer and gasped.

The face that looked back at him looked like the face of another trooper, not 5772. A long scar ran across his face, starting just above his left eye, taking a sharp turn across his nose, and winding all the way down to under the right side of his chin. He lifted a hand and gently felt it, not used to scars.

5772 quickly pulled his hand down as he heard the door hiss open behind him. In walked a boy with almost-white blond hair, wearing Jedi robes. Behind him, there was a green-skinned Twi'lek man, also in Jedi clothes. So these were Jedi, then. They looked more… normal than 5772 had imagined. A clone trooper, captain by the looks of him, strode in after the two.

"You're awake!" the boy exclaimed. "How do you feel? Are you okay? What was the crash like?" 5772's head spun with all the questions being thrown at him.

"Slow down, Zak," the Twi'lek chided. "Please excuse my Padawan," he said, giving 5772 an apologetic nod. "He's new."

"So am I," 5772 croaked, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. "What happened?"

"Your ship crashed. There were no other survivors," the Twi'lek said grimly. "You're lucky to be alive."

"What's your name?" the Padawan - Zak - asked.

"I'm CT-5772," 5772 told him.

"No, I mean your real name. Not your number," Zak said.

"I don't have one yet," 5772 said. 5772 had been the only one in his squad without a nickname. Perhaps it had been because of 5772's strict rule-following, his following orders down to the word in training. While all of his brothers had developed their own unique personalities, 5772 hadn't. If they had to shorten his name, they just referred to him as "seven-two". He was nothing more than a number.

"Oh," Zak said, and was silent. After a moment, his master spoke.

"It's time to leave," he said.

"Can I stay? You can leave," Zak pleaded.

The Twi'lek sighed. "Fine. But only for a little while."

Zak smiled. "Thank you, master." The older Jedi nodded and left the room. Zak hopped onto the bed beside 5772.

"So…" Zak said, thinking. "What happened to you? How did you get that scar? My master told me your ship crashed, but that's all I know."

"I… I don't want to talk about it," 5772 said shortly.

"Well, sometimes talking about it makes it feel better. You aren't all right, and I sense it isn't just your injuries."

"They're gone," 5772 said softly. "My squad is gone, dead because of me." He started to cry. "And it's all my fault."

Zak replied, "It's not your fault. Of course it's not."

"It is. If I had stayed… looked for them, instead of just running… maybe they would still be alive."

"But you got out just in time. If you had stayed, you would have died too."

5772 sighed. "But why do I live? Why do I exist? So that the Republic has men to fight for them. To die for them. And I'm not really sure what it is we're fighting for. What they died for. We were raised in a laboratory, trained from birth to kill. Accelerated aging made us able to be deployed at ten years old, instead of twenty. They died at ten years old, you know that?" 5772 put his head in his hands. The galaxy was screwed up.

"You know, in a way, we aren't so much different from each other." Zak gave 5772 a serious look, wise beyond his years. "I was taken from my family at birth. All my life I was trained in the Jedi ways. And now I'm fighting a war. What's happening to us?"

5772 pulled Zak close, ruffling his hair. "I don't know, kid. I don't know."

They sat there for an indefinite amount of time. Eventually the door slid back open in front of him.

"Now it is truly time to leave," Zak's master said. "Say goodbye."

"Goodbye," Zak said as 5772 helped him up. "Maybe I can convince my master to let you fight with us," he whispered.

"I'd like that," 5772 whispered back. Zak slowly walked to stand at his master's side.

"But just in case…" Zak rushed back to 5772 and threw his arms around him. 5772 stood there awkwardly, eventually hugging him back.

"Goodbye, kid," 5772 chuckled. "See you around."

"'Bye!" Zak said, waving as he left the room. "I hope-"

He was cut off as the door closed. 5772 felt a surge of affection and protectiveness. He wasn't going to let anything happen to that kid. Zak was too young to be fighting a war, and certainly much too young to die in one.

But then, so was he.

* * *

So... yay? nay? okay? I really hope you're liking it so far. Please tell me what you think in a review! Updates will probably be either every week or every two weeks, I haven't decided yet. Depends on how much time I have to write.

Now to turn up the Star Wars soundtrack and go write some more! May the Force be with you :)


	2. One

Here's chapter 1! Thanks for the follows, faves, and review, I really appreciate it :) I have decided to try and update every week! The next few chapters probably won't be as long as this one. R&R!

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

Zero got out his grapple gun and began fiddling with it, as he always tended to do when he was nervous. Next to him, Jax whispered, "Why'd you bring that? You won't need it today, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Zero said, setting the gun down. He shivered as he felt the adrenaline rushing through him. Excitement crackled in the air. Jax rocked back and forth on his feet. Despite him looking ten years old, he still had that childish energy inside him, a result of the Kaminoans' accelerated aging methods. Zero's other squadmate, CT-1256, let out a nervous laugh.

"What is it, Five-Six?" Zero asked.

"Just anticipating the exercise," 1256 replied. "It's the first time we're free-climbing. Aren't you a little nervous?"

"Well… a little bit, I guess," Zero admitted, wiping the sweat off his hands. It was true, he was scared, but he was more scared for his brothers than himself. He had complete confidence in himself, and he knew that _he_ could free-climb the wall just fine. But for some reason, he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he thought about the exercise.

 _It's just a training drill,_ he thought, trying to calm his jumbled thoughts.

In front of them, CT-3317 rolled his eyes. " _I'm_ not scared."

"Yeah," added CT-2791. "Stop being such a wimp."

"Ignore them," Jax whispered to Zero and 1256. "Just like we've been doing our _whole lives_."

Zero snickered. "Oh, they're scared, all right… of screwing up for once."

Those two troopers were convinced they were perfect at everything, and that of they impressed the instructors enough, they might just get to be ARC troopers. They considered every other clone a threat, especially their three squadmates.

The door in front of them opened, jolting Zero out of his thoughts. The troopers walked across the cavernous training room to the climbing wall. Zero craned his neck upwards to look at the sheer size of the thing.

 _They had to climb that?_

"Bet I beat you!" Jax said playfully to 1256.

"No way," 1256 bantered back.

Zero rolled his eyes. His two brothers were always competing with each other. "Let's just get started," he said.

He looked for a good handhold, and soon found one. It took a bit for Zero to get into the rhythm of climbing, but once he got used to it, his brain went on autopilot, and he wasn't really thinking about what he was doing, he was just doing it. In no time, he was almost to the top of the wall. Clones tended to be fast learners. Just a few more handholds and he would be there… he stretched out to grab one, but it was just out of his reach… if he just stretched out a little more-

A scream broke Zero's concentration. His hand swiped at open air. He snapped his gaze downwards and saw 1256 sprawled on the ground below. 1256 screamed again, an ear-piercing sound that echoed through the training room.

"Five-Six!" Zero yelled, scrambling back down the wall. A few meters from the ground, he jumped the rest of the way down, the impact slamming into his feet. He ignored the brief jolt of pain, focused on getting to 1256.

He rushed to his side. "Five-Six, talk to me!" 1256 gripped Zero's hand, squeezing it hard.

"It _hurts_!" 1256's face shone with tears. "I can't feel my legs," he whimpered.

"You'll be okay, hold on," Zero said, worried. Out of the corner of his vision he could see a clone rushing towards them. He looked like a medic.

"He's hurt bad," Zero heard Jax tell the trooper. He nodded and knelt down next to 1256. He tried picking him up, but 1256 let out another blood-curdling scream as soon as he was an inch off the ground.

"You kids should probably go," the medic said. "I'll handle this."

Zero nodded. He looked back into 1256's eyes one more time. "You'll be all right," he whispered. "See you later, okay?" Zero gave him an encouraging smile and stood up. He put his arm around Jax as they exited the room.

As they started to walk back towards the barracks, Zero realized he'd left his grapple gun outside the training room. He nudged Jax and said, "Hey. I forgot my grapple gun. I'm gonna run back and get it, okay?"

Jax nodded. "Could you check on Five-Six while you're down there?" he asked.

"Sure," Zero replied. He was going to do that anyway. He started jogging. Running always made Zero feel better, and that day it helped to relieve some of the stress revolving around 1256.

He soon arrived at the door to the training room. He spotted the grapple gun lying next to the door opening, and grabbed it. He noticed the door was stuck, cracked open just an inch or so, and went over to the control panel to open it. His hand hovered over the OPEN button. He had moved his hand forward just a millimeter when he heard it.

The gunshot.

Zero stopped cold. His heart started to pound, listening for more noise. There was nothing, just the single shot. That fact made Zero's heart pound even harder. _Why would there be a single gunshot in the training room? What happened to Five-Six? What-_

 _A gunshot. Five-Six._

And Zero suddenly realized what it meant.

He started sprinting, throat burning, and didn't stop until he was all the way to the barracks. His eyes blurred as he climbed the ladder to his bed, holding in sobs as he climbed into it and it retracted into the wall.

He let the tears fall free, his body shaking with hiccuping sobs, all alone in his tiny space, where nobody else could hear him.

* * *

Hours later, Zero jolted awake. He must have fallen asleep at some point. He pushed a button, and the bed slid out from the wall. He looked down and saw the rest of his squad standing below him. Jax waved at him.

"Come on down, Zero," he yelled up to him. "We were just going to head down to the mess."

Zero nodded and climbed down the ladder, joining his three brothers. It should have been four, a painful reminder of what had happened earlier.

1256's screams still echoed through his thoughts.

"What happened to Five-Six?" Jax whispered to Zero.

"I'll… I'll tell you later," Zero said.

"Okay," Jax said, but he heard the tremble in Zero's voice. They walked in silence to the mess hall, got their food, and sat down. Jax shoveled the unappetizing glop into his mouth, undeterred by the fact that it looked and tasted like Jabba the Hutt had thrown up all over the tray. When Jax was hungry, nothing stood in his way.

Zero sat beside him, dejectedly picking at his food. He didn't really have an appetite, not after that morning. Soon, Jax was done, and Zero's food remained untouched.

"Hey. What's wrong?" Jax asked quietly. "You've seemed… off. Ever since you got back from the exercise this morning." There was silence for a moment, then Zero spoke.

"He's dead," Zero whispered.

"Who? Not… not…" Jax trailed off.

Zero nodded. "Five-Six." His voice trembled.

"I'm just going to take Zero up to the barracks," he told 3317 and 2791. "He's not feeling well." Jax turned around and together they walked back to the barracks.

Jax sat Zero down on the bench, putting his arm around him. Zero started to cry. Sure, they were clone troopers, and they were supposed to be strong, and not feel grief as much as normal beings. Butalthough Zero looked older, he was still just a five-year-old kid. although he looked older, Zero was, on the inside, just a five-year-old kid.

"He's really gone?" Jax whispered, not wanting to believe it.

Zero nodded again. "And… and he…"

"What? There's something you're not telling me."

"He killed him… the m-medic."

"What…? No… he wouldn't…"

"I heard a gunshot… from the training room, when I went b-back… He killed him… because he was a h-hopeless case… he was t-too badly injured to d-do anything, so… he j-just… shot him…" Zero sobbed. "Just another expendable clone."

Jax was silent beside him, shocked. After a few minutes, 3317 and 2791 walked in.

"What's the crybaby blubbering about now?" 2791 taunted.

"Five-Six is dead!" Jax screamed. " _Dead!_ So leave him alone! You hear me?"

All they could think to say was, "Oh." Nothing else.

"It'll be okay," Jax whispered. "It'll be okay."

Later, when the squad was getting ready to sleep, another clone about their age walked into their barracks, looking slightly lost.

"Um… I'm CT-Nine-Two-Six-Nine, and I was sent here… to join your squad?" he said. "I heard you lost a brother."

Jax nodded. "You're in the right place."

9269 stepped forward clumsily, tripping over his own feet and falling flat on his face.

3317 laughed cruelly. "Trip here'll fit right in with those three misfits - oh, I'm sorry, that's _two_ misfits, isn't it? Five-Six went and got himself killed."

"Stop. Right now." Zero stood up, speaking without a waver in his voice for the first time since that morning. He walked over to 9269 and extended a hand to him. "I'm Zero. Need a hand?"

9269 took it, pulling himself up with a grunt. "Thanks, brother."

Zero turned to 3317, balled his hand into a fist, and punched him right on the nose. Blood started to drip from it. 3317 gave Zero a wide-eyed look of shock.

"And not one more word about Five-Six," he said fiercely. "Or this - " he pointed to his fist - "gets reintroduced to this." He pointed to 3317's face. "You got me?"

3317 and 2719 nodded. "Good," Zero said, turning back to 9269.

"Welcome to the squad," he said. "I'll look out for you."

* * *

"We're almost there!" Zero heard Jax shout. He was right. Just a few more meters until they would be at the foot of the wall. From there, they would grapple up the wall, and the final test would be over. They would graduate and be able to finally fight for the Republic.

Zero threw a glance behind him. He saw Trip behind him. Trip had dropped his identification number for the nickname that 3317 had given him on his first day with the squad. The name actually kind of annoyed 3317, because he hadn't intended to give Trip a name, just to make fun of him. But it had backfired on him, much to Trip and Zero's amusement.

Trip was falling behind. He seemed to do that in every exercise, though. But no matter how bad his mistakes were, Zero always stood up for Trip. Now, during the final test, Zero kept an eye on Trip to make sure he didn't go down.

Jax gave Zero a signal, and both troopers made a dash for the wall, joining their other two brothers. Zero frantically looked around for Trip, and spotted him behind a barrier close by. He made to roll out from it, but stumbled. He splayed across the floor, blaster knocked out of his hand, and looked up in fear at the droid pointing its blaster barrel into his face.

"Trip!" Zero yelled, rushing out from his cover and sending a blaster bolt flying at the droid's head. The droid collapsed, deactivated. Zero helped Trip up. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he panted. "Thanks."

An overjoyed whoop sounded from above. Zero and Trip looked up at the tower. At the top stood 3317, 2791, and Jax. Jax waved down at them. Zero gave him a thumbs-up. The troopers began climbing back down from the tower. 3317 marched towards Zero, throwing his training helmet off.

"What were you _doing?!_ " he said, enraged. "You could have gotten the both of you taken down. The we would have failed and been assigned to _maintenance_. And it would have been _your fault_."

Zero was shocked. "Trip is one of us. I thought the number one rule was never to leave a brother behind?"

"Well, Trip needs to learn to pull his own weight. If he's weak, let him fall, because it will only make the rest of us stronger. He's always been behind the rest of us. And you, you're always back there helping him. You could be the best one in the squad if you'd just leave him!" 3317 shouldered past Zero. "Your friend Jax knows what he's doing. He was up there with us. He's never staying behind with the weakling."

Zero gave Jax a look. _What's he going to say?_

"I'm sorry, Zero, but… I kind of agree with him," Jax said awkwardly. "Trip isn't always going to have you to help him. What's he going to do if you get killed?"

Zero was outraged. "How can you side with _him?_ " he yelled, gesturing to where 3317 had left the room.

"Zero, wait…" Jax protested as Zero swept out of the training room. Zero didn't want to hear any more from him. He could hear the sound of running feet behind him.

"Zero, that's not what I meant!" Jax yelled.

Zero halted. "Then what _did_ you mean? That Trip isn't our brother? That you would be okay with it if he died? That we shouldn't help him, because he isn't one of us?"

Jax shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant at all," he whispered.

"Well, if Trip isn't one of us, you aren't one of us, either. Me and Trip, we can get along just fine without you."

"Trip isn't Five-Six!" Jax screamed suddenly. "So stop treating him like he's just a replacement. Because nobody will replace Five-Six. Trip's... different."

"Well, maybe you should stop getting all depressed over Five-Six! I cried once, grieved once, and you, you still keep dragging it up!" Jax had been better friends with 1256 than Zero had, and although it hadn't seemed like he was affected much on that day, Jax still grieved over his lost brother. "Do you think I want to remember that day? You weren't there! You didn't hear that medic shoot Five-Six! He's _dead,_ and he's _never coming back_!"

"Oh, so you don't care, do you? You don't care that my best friend is gone. Well, here's what I think: from day one, I've thought Trip was an annoying little setback, but did I say anything? No! I kept my mouth shut! And now I'm telling you, _I don't care!"_

"Oh yeah? Well, I don't give a crap either. Go and get yourself killed, for all I care!"

Zero stormed away, consumed by rage. He supposed he should feel guilty about what he had just let loose at Jax, but the strange thing was, he didn't.

* * *

Thanks for reading, hope you like it so far, and don't forget to review! ;)

Now to go see The Force Awakens for the third time... yay :D


	3. Two

Hello again! It's Sunday, and time for another chapter! In this chapter, I'm going to start switching POV's. Yay! R&R!

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

 **POV - Zero**

Zero gulped as he peered over the edge of the dropoff. Ever since that day long ago in training, he'd never been a fan of heights, even though clones weren't supposed to be afraid of such things. He looked across the bridge. It seemed a bit long to Zero. It was made completely out of rock, so he assumed that it wasn't the stablest thing. Zero was glad he was near the back. That way, if anything was wrong with the bridge, he would at least get a warning.

Zero and his Kamino squad had been assigned to the battalion commanded by Jedi General Kolmorr. His second in command, besides his Padawan, was the notorious Captain Ash. The clone captain was known for a rebellious streak that sometimes - well, most of the time - got him into trouble with his stricter general. Some people wondered why he even stayed with the Republic instead of just deserting, since he so obviously disliked it. Zero had seen Ash only a couple of times, and each encounter left him more curious about the captain than the last. For one thing, Ash didn't paint his armor with any special designs, aside from the dark red stripes of his battalion. The only thing that was different was that he had four small circles painted on his helmet. Zero wondered what they meant. Clones' armor designs often had some kind of meaning. The captain also wielded an intimidating electrostaff, which was rumored to have been won from a fight with a MagnaGuard.

Zero pushed his wandering thoughts to the back of his mind as he put a careful foot on the beginning of the bridge. He clutched Trip's arm beside him.

"Calm down," Trip murmured. "It's okay."

Right after Trip said this, however, Zero heard the telltale rumbling of ship engines from above. Soon, the world was filled with deafening noise and chaos.

"They're bombing the bridge!" Zero yelled. All around him, troopers started running back to safe ground. Zero sprinted away from the collapsing center of the bridge, but every second, the falling rocks got closer to Zero's pounding feet.

He reached the edge of the bridge just in time, grabbing Trip's arm and pulling him beside him just as the last of the rocks fell away. Zero doubled over, breathing heavily.

"That… was close," he panted. He looked around for some sign of the rest of his squad, but there was no evidence that they had made it. Zero turned away. He didn't feel particularly sad for 3317 or 2791, since they had treated Zero like bantha dung from day one. But Jax… he was going to miss Jax, even though he had had that enormous argument with him on their graduation day. Although it was nothing compared to how he would feel if he lost Trip.

Zero suddenly heard a strained moan coming from behind him. It sounded like… his name?

"Zero…"

He whipped around, looking for the person who had spoken. He scanned the ground, then the rock cliff. Still nothing.

"Z-Zero… help!"

He carefully made his way over. He looked down, and Jax was hanging from the cliff wall by his fingertips. He was a meter or so below Zero, so Zero would have to stretch in order for Jax to be able to grab his hand. Zero crouched down and extended his hand.

"Hold on, Jax… try to grab my hand!" he said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

Jax lifted one hand from his little ledge, reaching out to Zero's outstretched arm. "Almost… there…" he grunted, straining from the effort. Jax's fingertips brushed Zero's.

And suddenly Jax wasn't there at all.

" _Jax!_ " Zero screamed as he watched his friend fall into the abyss, the broken pieces of the ledge tumbling down beside him. Jax's screams plunged Zero yet again into the memory of the day that, it seemed, would never leave him.

Zero kneeled there for a minute, paralyzed with shock. Then he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw the helmet with the four spots.

Captain Ash.

"I'm sorry, kid," he said. His voice was deep and a bit gravelly. "It's time to go."

Ash removed his helmet, revealing a scruffy face framed by long rust-red hair that was pulled back into a small ponytail, stray strands blowing free in the breeze. Ash's eyes were intriguing, because they looked like the hazel eyes of any other clone, but they were different somehow. They shone with a fire that Zero had yet to see in any of his other brothers. Yet the feature that stood out the most was the faint scar winding its way across Ash's face, starting above his left eye and ending all the way under the right side of his chin. It looked as if it had been there for some time, the white color of the scar contrasting against the tan shade of Ash's skin. Zero glimpsed the electrostaff slung over his shoulder.

"Look, kid, we gotta go," the captain said urgently. Zero quickly stood up, not realizing he had been staring. Somehow, Ash had rejuvenated Zero, a newfound spirit coursing through his veins.

"What do they call you, shiny?" Ash asked.

"I'm CT-Seven-Three-Zero-Zero, sir. Or just Zero."

"As you may know, I'm Captain Ash," Ash said, extending a hand. Zero strongly shook it. "Pleasure meeting you, Zero."

* * *

 **POV - Ash**

Ash sighed, putting his head in his hands. They had been _that_ close to pushing the Separatists off of the planet for good. If only they had made it across the bridge. Then, they could have caught the Seppies by surprise, and if would have been less of a hassle. Now, their forces were severely depleted, and their time was running out. They _had_ to get the Separatists off the planet before the king signed the treaty with Dooku. That bridge had been a useful shortcut, and now it had been reduced to rubble, forcing the battalion to retreat back to their base camp. Now they would have to take the long way around. The problem with that was, they didn't know the territory. It could be crawling with Sep forces, and Ash's battalion wouldn't know a thing. Then there was the question of what they would actually do when they got to the Separatist base. They were severely outnumbered now. Ash had lost so many men on that bridge.

He sighed again, blowing out a long stream of air. Every time Ash watched his men die, it tore him up inside. He hated being in the Grand Army, and after every battle, his loyalty to the Republic was shaken even more. Sure, he had considered deserting - several times, actually - but in the end, he always decided to stay. Ash stayed to protect his men, men that were just like he used to be - a rookie soldier, forced to fight for something he didn't really believe in. Shinies like Zero and Trip reminded Ash of his first days, days when he didn't know what it really meant to fight in a war, when everything seemed like a game, and he didn't truly realize how it felt to lose a brother until he lost all of them at once.

After the crash, Ash had changed. He grew his hair out. He dyed it rusty red. He painted the four circles on his helmet, each one representing a brother he couldn't save. Bolt, Lev, Shadow, and Flyer. Instead of fighting with a blaster, he obtained an electrostaff, asking Zak to train him to use it. On that day, he had realized that he wasn't just another clone. He was a person, and he refused to be owned by anyone. When General Kolmorr's old commander died, he had chosen Ash to take his place. Ash had become a skilled man, and he knew that as long as he stayed just on the edge of the boundaries, Kolmorr wouldn't let him go, as strict as he may have been. Even so, Ash pushed it, dangerously independent. A new man had risen from the ashes of CT-5772, which was, in fact, how Ash had come up with his nickname.

He looked up at the sound of approaching feet. The tent flap was pushed back, and Zak entered.

"What is it, kid?" Ash asked, although Zak wasn't much of a kid anymore. Two years had passed since their first meeting, and war had forced the Padawan to grow up fast.

"My Master wants you to lead a small scouting mission to the territory we'll cross tomorrow, to assess potential dangers," Zak told him. Ash ran his hand through his hair, thinking that this was a bad idea. He winced slightly when he moved his wrist, which he had injured during the escape from the bridge.

Zak, being the Jedi that he was, noticed. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No… no, it's nothing, I'm fine," Ash said quickly.

"I can fix it," Zak said. "I'm being trained in Force healing, you know. It'll be good practice."

"Fine," Ash grumbled. "But please note that I'm not a test subject for your crazy mind experiments."

Zak rolled his eyes. "Of course not." He took a seat next to Ash, placing his hands on Ash's wrist. Zak closed his eyes, concentrating. The pain in Ash's wrist gradually faded. Zak opened his eyes and lifted his hands. Ash flexed his wrist, feeling no pain.

"It's good," he told the Padawan. Zak smiled. "Thanks, kid." Ash ruffled Zak's hair affectionately.

Zak's face turned slightly red. "You're welcome. But… there's something that worries me."

"What is it?"

"What if I'm in battle, and someone gets hurt, and I try to heal them, and I can't under the stress of battle, or the injury is too big? What if I can't do it?" Zak looked at Ash with worried eyes.

"You _can_ do it, kid. I believe in you."

"It's just… I'd hate thinking about it afterwards, and knowing that I had the power to fix it, but I couldn't. "

Ash looked him in the eye with seriousness, all of his sarcastic comments and wittiness gone. "I know how you feel. But I _know_ you can do it. See?" He pointed to his newly repaired wrist. "You just did it to me now. And if you feel like it's impossible, just remember today, when you succeeded. And you'll know, deep down, that you can do it, because you've done it before."

Zak nodded. "Thanks. That's a good way of thinking about things. I'll remember that. I won't let any of my friends die."

"Good. Now, I've got to go get the scout mission ready." Ash stood up, patting Zak on the shoulder. "You're a good kid, Zak." Ash walked away, ducking under the tent flap and exiting.

He wondered about who to take on his trip. His mind immediately jumped to Zero and Trip. The young troopers needed something to take their minds off of losing their squadmate.

Ash wandered around the camp, looking for the two shinies. Thunder rumbled overhead like bombs dropping. Ominous gray storm clouds blanketed the base in dark shadows. Hopefully they would actually be able to see out there.

Ash finally spotted them sitting on some supply crates, munching on tasteless ration bars. He strode over to them. Zero and Trip looked up at him.

"Are you boys feeling up to a scouting mission?"

* * *

So that's that! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please review!

Until next time, buddies! May the Force be with you :)


	4. Three

Here's chapter 3! Hope you're liking the story, please review! (no flames please!)

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

* * *

 **POV - Trip**

"We've been out here for a while now and haven't seen anything. Think we can go back?"

Zero's voice sounded through Trip's helmet comlink. Trip squinted against the darkness, trying to locate his brother. He was surprised he hadn't crashed his speeder yet, given that the pathway was so narrow and surrounded by trees and rockwalls on both sides.

"Not yet," came Ash's voice. "Just a bit more."

Trip suddenly heard a beeping in his ears. "Hold on, guys. My scanner's picking something up."

Trip stopped his speeder, and he heard the sound of the others' engines spluttering out. He stepped forward warily.

"Be careful. There are probably landmines, according to the scanner." He could just barely make out the shape of the other troopers on the scouting mission.

One trooper - Trip didn't know his name - ventured ahead of the group. His steps were carefully calculated, his foot hovering for a second before he decided to put it down. Trip turned around to scope out the rest of the area.

He chose the wrong moment to turn around.

He heard a sharp yell behind him. He recognized it to be Zero's voice.

"No! Wait! Stop!"

Trip whirled around to see the trooper about to put his foot down right on top of a mine, according to the scanner. Trip sprinted forward, arms stretched out to shove the clone out of the way.

"No! Look ou-" Trip was cut short as the trooper's foot crunched down onto the ground. He was thrown backward, and he felt his helmet fly off. The heat of the explosion scorched his face. Trip's head hit something hard, and in a flash of sudden pain, everything went dark.

* * *

 **POV - Ash**

Ash didn't know how long he spent sprawled on the ground, looking up at the dark, cloudy sky. He was dazed, and it took all of his effort to sit up. He took a look around.

A huge pile of boulders had tumbled down across the narrow path. There was no sign of Zero or any of the other troopers on the trip.

Ash tried comming the other troopers and got nothing but crackling static. They were probably all dead. He hesitated when he was about to comm Zero. Then he shook his head. He was alive or he was dead. And he was about to find out. He pushed the button on his wrist.

"Zero? Zero, do you copy?"

Static.

Ash disconnected, feeling downcast. He tried to convince himself that Zero was still alive, that static over a comlink didn't confirm anything. Ash cast his gaze around again, growing more and more desperate. There had to be _someone_ on his side of the rocks.

He caught the glint of armor out of the corner of his vision. He spun around to see Trip slumped against a rock. He cautiously strode over. Blood was smeared all over his armor, running down from his head and from his side. He could see the faint rise and fall of his chest, which meant that he was still alive - barely.

Ash knelt down next to him. Trip was in bad shape. Ash had seen enough combat to know a dying man when he saw one, and from the looks of it, Trip's chances of making it back alive were slim.

But that wasn't going to stop Ash from trying.

"Hey," he whispered, giving Trip a little shake. "Trip. Wake up. Hey."

Trip's eyes slowly opened. They were glazed and unfocused. "Z-Zero…?" he croaked. "Is that… you?"

"No, I'm Captain Ash," Ash told him. "You'll… you'll see Zero soon. Just hold on." He tried as hard as he could to keep his voice steady.

"It hurts…" Trip moaned. "And it's cold."

This scared Ash, because it was actually quite warm and humid out. Ash was sweating buckets. "You're going to be okay," he said, more to convince himself than Trip. "Can you stand?"

"I… maybe," Trip said.

"Well, then, you're going to," Ash said, putting his arm around Trip to support him. "Ready?" Trip let out a pained yell as Ash lifted him to his feet.

"Do you need to sit back down?" Ash asked hurriedly.

"I'm okay," Trip panted. "I'm okay."

"If you say so," Ash said. He walked slowly, helping Trip hobble along. "We're going to have to… take the long way around," he told Trip, voice straining from the effort. Trip nodded, on the edge of consciousness.

After about ten minutes of walking, he heard Trip's faint voice. "Can we… take a break…?"

"Sure," Ash said, helping Trip over to a section of rocky wall that was under a tree. He propped Trip up against it.

"Drink this," Ash told him, thrusting his water canteen into Trip's bloody hands.

"Don't… want to, " Trip mumbled as Ash tried to bandage up his injured side. As his hands probed the wound, he came across something hard. It was a piece of shrapnel embedded in his side that had pierced through the armor. Ash winced. The wound was probably already infected, but he couldn't take any chances.

"This is going to hurt, kid," he said. "Just hold on."

Trip let out a strangled scream of pain. Ash tossed the bloody piece of metal aside. Blood was flowing more steadily from Trip's side now. He wrapped the bandage from his utility belt around his side as tightly as he could. Then he wrapped more bandage around his head injury. Ash sat back, letting out a deep breath. He made Trip drink the water.

"How much… longer?" Trip panted in between shallow, labored breaths.

"Just a few klicks," Ash lied. They were still pretty far out from the base.

"I'm going to… die, aren't I?" Trip croaked.

Ash shook his head. "No. I won't let you. You're going to see Zero again." Ash doubted that Trip's squadmate was still alive, but the kid needed some motivation to keep going.

"If I die… can you tell Zero…" Trip's voice faded away as he slipped into unconsciousness. Ash took his pulse. It was barely there, a faint pumping beneath his skin. Trip was pale from all the blood loss. Ash sat there, wondering how Trip was going to make it out of this.

Because he was going to. He had to.

* * *

 **POV - Zero**

Zero sat up, a wave of dizziness washing over him. When the spots in his vision cleared, he was able to see - barely - through the darkness.

A gigantic pile of boulders and debris sat collapsed in the middle of the path. Three clones lay on the ground, unmoving. Zero looked wildly around for Trip or Captain Ash, and didn't see them. They must have been on the other side of the wall. His hand automatically slapped his wrist, searching for his comlink. No familiar beep sounded, however. He glanced down to see the crushed remains of his wrist comm. Zero rushed over to the rock pile and shouted hoarsely, "Trip! Captain! Are you okay? Are you over there?"

There was no response. Zero convinced himself that they were just passed out, not dead. He couldn't take them being dead. He walked back into the middle of the clearing. He tried checking the vitals of the three clones on the ground. They were all gone.

Zero was alone.

He'd never been completely alone before, and he tried not to let this overwhelm him. He concentrated on the one thing that would help him the most: getting back to the base. From there, he could find out whether Trip and Ash were still alive.

With this motivation in mind, he set out.


	5. Four

Hello again! Whew, Sunday sure came on fast, I almost forgot to post! I've been so busy this week. And it's still Sunday for the next half hour, so HA! It's not late. Anyways, here's the next chapter. And one more quick thing before you read it: I'm sorry for the sad chapter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

* * *

 **POV - Ash**

"Trip. Trip, we've gotta get moving," Ash whispered, shaking the rookie.

"Wha… huh," Trip mumbled. His eyes barely opened. Ash lifted him onto his feet, but this time, the only noise Trip made was a small sigh.

Ash was losing him.

"Just stay alive, okay?" he whispered. They continued on, moving slower than ever.

After about twenty minutes, Trip started coughing. Ash quickly found cover, setting Trip up against the rock wall. He glanced at Trip's bandages and gasped. Both his side and head bandages were soaked through with blood. Ash moved to change them, but Trip's shaking hands held him back.

"It's no… use," Trip choked out. "Tell Zero… goodbye?"

"No, stay with me, Trip, just a little longer!" Ash said desperately.

"There's nothing… you can… do," Trip coughed. He gasped in pain. Ash offered his hand for Trip to hold. He took it, his grip surprisingly strong. His other hand fumbled around his neck. It eventually emerged with his ID tags in it.

"Take… them," he whispered. "Give them… to Zero…" Trip pressed the tags into Ash's free hand.

Ash nodded. "I will." His voice broke. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"It's… it's okay," Trip mumbled. His eyes started to close. Ash sat with him, holding Trip's hand as his breaths got shallower and shallower. It was like torture, having to sit there watching the life slowly drain out of him, knowing there was nothing he could do.

Eventually, Trip let out a soft sigh. Ash anxiously waited for him to draw another breath.

It didn't come.

Ash's heart sank. "No... " Ash said softly, shaking him. "Trip, come on, don't go…" He squeezed Trip's limp hand. "Trip…"

Deep down, Ash knew it was no use, because Trip was dead.

Ash sat there for a few minutes, still in shock from everything that had just happened, trying to work out what he was going to say to Zero, if he was still alive. Eventually, he worked up the strength to stand. He noticed Trip's helmet lying on the ground and picked it up. He would give it to Zero along with the ID tags, the only thing that remained of Zero's best friend. He tucked the helmet under his arm and began the long trek to the base, not looking back.

* * *

 **POV - Zero**

Zero sat on the supply crates, the same crates that he and Trip had sat on before the scouting mission. He put his head in his hands, taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, and wondering what had happened to Trip and Captain Ash. He had made it back to the base in good time, and he had heard nothing concerning his friend or the captain.

After a while, he heard voices yelling. "It's Ash! Captain Ash is back!" Zero snapped up, wildly looking around for the captain - and his squadmate.

He soon spotted him, armor smeared with blood, expression unreadable underneath the helmet. Zero looked around for Trip, wondering where he was. His gaze caught on the helmet tucked under Ash's arm.

Trip's helmet.

Zero got a sinking feeling in his stomach. His eyes started to burn as Ash made his way over. The captain removed his own helmet, his hair a sweaty, tangled mess, a slightly shocked, sad expression on his face.

"Is Trip… is he…" Zero managed to choke out. The second it took for Ash to respond felt like an eternity.

"I'm sorry… he's gone."

Zero shook his head, unable to believe it. "No… _no!"_ he screamed. Tears started to fall. Ash wordlessly held out the helmet. Zero carefully took it, hugging it close to him. His body shook with sobs.

He had promised to protect him. And now he was gone, dead, never coming back.

And there was nothing Zero could do about it.

Ash opened his mouth, looking as if he was trying to find the right words. "As he was dying… he told me to say goodbye. To you."

Zero snapped up. "You were with him? And you didn't save him?"

"He was very badly injured, and I tried as best I could, but-"

"Well, you obviously didn't try hard enough!" Zero yelled. "Now my best friend is dead, all because of you!"

Zero went back to silently crying, wondering why he even tried anymore. Now he knew what it felt like to truly be alone.

* * *

 **POV - Ash**

Ash woke to the pounding of rain outside the tent. He lay there, staring into the darkness, thinking about what had just happened. The rain slapped against the waterproof tent fabric. Soon, Ash couldn't take the silence. He sat up, preparing himself to go outside. As he was about to leave, he spotted Trip's ID tag lying on the ground. They must have fallen somehow. Ash picked it up, thinking he would give them to Zero if he was awake.

Ash made out the tiny lettering. _CT-9269. Trip._ The tag was covered in dried blood. He would have to clean it when he got outside. The rain would come in handy after all.

Ash realized once he got outside that he had forgotten to put his helmet on. _It's too late now_ , he thought as the rain soaked through his long hair, plastering it to his head. He'd let it down overnight. Sometimes it reminded him of Shadow. The crash seemed like such a long time ago, now. But he would never forget his old squadmates.

He scrubbed the tag with his fingers, Trip's blood soon disappearing. When he was done, he looked around. Through the rain, he was able to make out the hazy silhouette of a person, standing at the edge of the camp. Ash thought that there was a high chance of it being Zero, and carefully made his way over.

He was right. The rain made it difficult to tell whether Zero was just wet, or if he was actually crying. Zero held Trip's helmet in his hands, and was looking out to the horizon.

"Hey," Ash said. The rain was getting lighter now, and it would be easier to hear a conversation.

Zero turned around. He didn't have his own helmet on. "Hey. Sorry about earlier. Just… it all felt surreal, like it wasn't actually happening, until you handed me the helmet. That's when I knew… he was really gone."

Ash nodded. "The same happened for me when I lost my Kamino squad. Our ship crashed, and it wasn't until the explosion happened that I really realized what was going on."

"I miss him already," Zero said softly.

Ash sighed. "I know." There was silence for a minute. Then Zero took a deep breath, and he said two words, two words that changed everything.

"I'm leaving."

The rain was almost all gone now, and Ash wished for it to come back, so that it would hide his shocked expression.

"There's nothing for me here now. I don't want to keep fighting for something that I don't believe in. So I'm leaving the GAR." Zero's tone was quite matter-of-fact.

"I've… I've thought about leaving too," Ash told him. "But I've always stayed for my men. Otherwise I would have left a long time ago."

Zero nodded. Then he put Trip's helmet on his head. "It was an honor serving with you, Ash."

"You're leaving… now? Right now?" Ash asked, surprised. Zero nodded. Ash fumbled in his belt pocket for Trip's ID. He held it out to Zero. "Well… Trip asked me to give you this."

Zero took a long look at the tag. Eventually, he said, "You keep it. You can have my helmet, too. I won't be needing it anymore."

Ash sighed. "Fine. You're a good kid, Zero. Take care of yourself out there."

"You too." Zero turned around, slowly making his way out of the camp. Ash watched him, until the rain started up again. It was like a wall separating Ash from the young trooper.

Now Trip and Zero were both gone.

* * *

Well there you go. But don't worry, we won't have another depressing chapter for a while now. So try to be happy about that, at least! See you next Sunday. :)


	6. Five

Hello again! And thanks to **coffeecrazycats** and **Force-Ghost** for reviewing. It really means a lot to me. And I have some (somewhat unfortunate) news: I'm going to have to start updating every other Sunday. The fourth quarter at my school has just started, and my teachers have been really pushing me. I've been really busy, and I've had barely any time to write. Sorry! I'll hopefully be able to go back to every Sunday once summer vacation starts. And, without further ado... here's the next chapter!

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

* * *

 **POV - Ash**

Ash slowly opened his eyes. The bright light of outside was dimmed by the tent fabric, casting a yellowish glow over everything inside. His eyes landed on Zero's helmet, lying on the ground across from him. Next to it were Trip's ID tags. The memories of everything that had happened yesterday slammed into his mind. Trip was gone, and so was Zero. Ash hoped Zero was far away from this planet by now, somewhere no one would ever find him.

Ash took a deep breath and started to put his armor back on. Today was the day they would attack the Separatists. Ash still thought it was an incredibly stupid idea, but it was unwise to argue with his general.

Ash stepped outside and stretched. It was a bright, sunny day, the complete opposite of yesterday. And Ash could die today. Somehow, that thought had never scared him, and Ash wasn't quite sure why.

He saw a flash of bright blond hair, and suddenly Zak was standing in front of him. He looked up at Ash's downcast face, and said, "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Ash sighed. "No… no, nothing's wrong, kid. What did you need to tell me?"

"It's just that my Master is ordering us to retreat," Zak told him. "He says there's not a good enough chance of us defeating the Separatists, not with this few men."

"Oh, good," Ash said, relieved. "Are we leaving the planet, then?"

"Yup," Zak said. "There's a cruiser on its way."

Ash nodded, patting Zak on the head. "Good. No more will die today." Zak nodded, and rushed off to find his master.

"Sir?" Ash heard a voice from behind him. He turned around to see a trooper behind him. He had a bright red medic's symbol on his shoulder. A tuft of white hair in the front contrasted with the dark black tone of the rest of his short hair.

"If you think I'm injured, kid, then go away, 'cause I'm fine," Ash said, exasperated.

"No, no, it's not that," the medic said, rushed. "I was just wondering… well, I haven't seen Zero since you took him on that scouting mission last night, and I was just going to ask if… I mean, is he…" The trooper trailed off.

This took Ash by surprise. Zero hadn't mentioned any friends outside his squad. Ash took a deep breath.

"Zero's dead."

The medic stared at him, only managing to choke out a small "oh." He stood there, silently grieving. Ash felt terrible for lying to him, but Zero couldn't be discovered running away.

"Thanks for telling me," the medic croaked.

"Hey. It'll be okay," Ash said softly. "I didn't know you were friends with Zero. What's your name?"

"P-Patch," he mumbled.

"Nice meeting you. I'm Ash." Ash figured eating something might cheer the young medic up. It always did the trick for Ash. "Wanna get some food?" he asked, putting his arm around Patch and leading him away.

* * *

 **POV - Zero**

The freighter shuddered, snapping Zero out of his half-conscious stupor. He glanced up at the dark supply room from his small cranny. Zero was uncomfortably wedged in between some supply crates containing who-knows-what. But as much as he disliked it, this was his ticket to freedom.

 _At least I don't have all my clunky armor on,_ Zero thought. He'd ditched all of his armor except for the forearm plates, utility belt (complete with blaster, of course), and Trip's helmet. The helmet was sitting on top of the crate next to him, because in the freighter's storage room, it was stuffy enough without the helmet on. His hair was slicked with sweat. Zero was currently wearing some civilian clothes he'd found lying around the freighter. He'd have to find something new to wear once he got off the ship, though; the person who'd worn these clothes last obviously hadn't cared much for personal hygiene.

Zero's stomach clenched with hunger. He hadn't eaten anything since before that scouting mission, and the ration bars didn't do much to fill one's stomach. He could use a drink, too; he'd consumed all the liquid in his water canteen long ago. As the ship shuddered again, Zero realized that it must be landing. Exactly where, he didn't know, but he did know it was somewhere in the Outer Rim.

Zero stood up, or at least tried to. His legs ached from so many hours scrunched in between the crates, and his vision spun with spots. He felt like he was going to pass out. Probably a mixture of dehydration, hunger, and fatigue. He'd been unable to completely fall asleep during the trip. He clumsily grabbed Trip's helmet and jammed it on his head. Zero turned around and felt his hand hit something hard. There was a loud crashing noise.

 _Uh-oh._

Zero froze. After a few seconds, he heard muffled footsteps and voices outside the door. He looked on with dread as the door slowly slid upwards. In marched a heavyset man, an enraged expression on his grimy face.

"Who're you?!" he said in a deep, gravelly voice. "A stowaway, eh? Well, this here freighter don't tolerate stowaways." He drew a small blaster pistol and pointed it threateningly at Zero.

"Look, I-I don't want any trouble," Zero stammered, barely able to form the words. "Just let me off in t-town and I won't b-bother you again." His legs shook. Zero made a strong effort not to pass out.

The man walked closer, pressing the barrel of his pistol up against the side of the helmet. "Sure, I'll let ya off… but ya won't be breathin'." The blaster clicked.

Suddenly the door opened again, and a smaller man entered. "Woah, woah, woah, slow down, man. No need to kill him."

"But-"

"Look, we don't have to let him off in town. We can drop him off right here, on the outskirts. Then he can figure things out for himself, and we won't have to worry about him." Zero was starting to feel grateful towards this guy.

Until Big Dude's mouth formed an evil grin.

"Yeah… good idea," he said.

"Um… and why is this such a g-good idea?" Zero mumbled as the doors leading outside started to open. Bright light streamed into the room. Zero squinted, his eyes used to the darkness.

The smaller guy leaned in close to whisper to Zero. "Just watch out for the monsters," he said in a foreboding voice.

 _Oh, great,_ Zero thought. _I'm dying of thirst and hunger, and now there are monsters. Yippee._

Big Dude shoved Zero towards the opening. "Bye," he said. "Hope ya enjoyed your trip." And on that somewhat taunting note, he pushed Zero out onto the ground. Zero stumbled, trying and failing to regain his fragile balance. He fell face first onto the grassy ground. He turned over to see the freighter taking off, sighing as it retreated into the distance.

Zero shakily stood, taking a look around. To his far left flowed a stream, with some bushes surrounding it. To his right was a huge field filled with long grass, similar to what he was standing in now. The grass was cut shorter where he was standing, though. He realized that it must be a path, and paths usually led to some kind of civilization. Zero was mentally preparing himself to walk a large number of klicks when a low growling came from his right. He was just hazily turning his head towards the noise when something rammed into his chest, sending him flying backwards with a painful thump.

Through the black spots threatening to invade his vision, Zero saw a huge black mass standing over him. His arm suddenly seared with fiery pain, and he let out a scream. The beast must have cut his arm with its… claws, teeth… something sharp. He reached down to his waist with his good hand and grabbed his blaster. He raised it to what he estimated to be the monster's head and pulled the trigger, just as he felt its claws rake along his chest.

The beast, thankfully, fell to the side, and not on top of Zero. His vision cleared a small amount, but when he looked down he saw a decent-sized gash in his chest. It didn't look too deep, but the front of his shirt was already soaked with blood, and he couldn't move his right arm. He thought he had some bandages in his utility belt. He just needed some cover to put them on.

 _The bushes!_ Zero thought hazily. He tried standing, and miraculously was able to hobble as far as the stream before the adrenaline started wearing off. He reluctantly entered the chilly water and managed to make it across without passing out and drowning. He found a space inside a small circle of bushes and rested for a moment, trying to get his shaking hands under control so he could get the bandages out.

Zero tried to fight unconsciousness. The darkness beckoned him, but he was able to resist long enough to bandage part of his arm. After that, his eyes fluttered shut, and he let everything fade away.


End file.
